So to live irresponsibly like cats and dogs is very risky life. Because so long we shall be engaged in the matter of sense gratification—material life means sense gratification—we shall increase our prolongation of repetition of birth and death. So this irresponsible life of eating, sleeping, sex life and defense like cats and dogs will not help us. Therefore... Because this kind of activities will oblige me to accept another body, and as soon as we accept another material body we become subjected to the stringent laws of material nature. And the material miserable conditions are summarized into four items: birth, death, old age and disease. So those who are not in knowledge of the spirit soul, they are very irresponsibly prolonging his life in material activities.
The matter of sense gratification
Bhagavad-gita As It Is
BG Chapters 1 - 6
Of course, atheistic sāṅkhya-yoga has nothing to do with bhakti-yoga, yet the unintelligent claim that the atheistic sāṅkhya-yoga is referred to in the Bhagavad-gītā.
One should therefore understand that buddhi-yoga means to work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in the full bliss and knowledge of devotional service. One who works for the satisfaction of the Lord only, however difficult such work may be, is working under the principles of buddhi-yoga and finds himself always in transcendental bliss. By such transcendental engagement, one achieves all transcendental understanding automatically, by the grace of the Lord, and thus his liberation is complete in itself, without his making extraneous endeavors to acquire knowledge. There is much difference between work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and work for fruitive results, especially in the matter of sense gratification for achieving results in terms of family or material happiness. Buddhi-yoga is therefore the transcendental quality of the work that we perform.
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 4
If one does not accept the authority of the Supreme Godhead in matters of religion and morality, one must explain why two persons of the same moral standard achieve different results. It is generally found that even if two men have the same moral standards of ethics, honesty and morality, their positions are still not the same. Similarly, in economic development it is seen that if two men work very hard day and night, still the results are not the same. One person may enjoy great opulence without even working, whereas another person, although working very hard, does not even get two sufficient meals a day. Similarly, in the matter of sense gratification, sometimes one who has sufficient food is still not happy in his family affairs or sometimes is not even married, whereas another person, even though not economically well off, has the greatest opportunity for sense gratification. Even an animal like a hog or a dog may have greater opportunities for sense gratification than a human being. Aside from liberation, even if we consider only the preliminary necessities of life—dharma, artha and kāma (religion, economic development and sense gratification)—we will see that they are not the same for everyone. Therefore it must be accepted that there is someone who determines the different standards. In conclusion, not only for liberation must one depend on the Lord, but even for ordinary necessities in this material world.
If our mind is simply filled with sense gratification, even though we want Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by continuous practice we cannot forget the subject matter of sense gratification. If one takes up the sannyāsa order of life but is not able to control the mind, he will think of objects of sense gratification—namely family, society, expensive house, etc. Even though he goes to the Himalayas or the forest, his mind will continue thinking of the objects of sense gratification. In this way, gradually one's intelligence will be affected. When intelligence is affected, one loses his original taste for Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
In every field of action there are certain don't's and certain do's. So we have to follow. Tat-paraḥ saṁyatendriyaḥ. And result of knowledge is that one should be restrained in the matter of sense gratification. You cannot become progressive in spiritual life if you indulge in unrestricted sense gratification because sense gratification is the cause of our bondage in this material world. And the whole treatment, progressive in spiritual life, is regulated. Of course, we have got senses, and the senses require some satisfaction. That is all right. There is no question of stopping the senses. It is not possible. If you want to stop the work of the senses, that is not possible. Simply we have to purify the senses.
So this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We haven't got to decry anything. Simply we have to change the consciousness. Everything we are now doing in the matter of sense gratification, we have to prepare ourself, we have to train ourself for the sense gratification of Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So that requires toleration. Now we are practiced to satisfy our own senses since a very, very long time. In every life, either in this human form of life, in other, so many species of life everyone is engaged for sense gratification. Now we have to change the process. Instead to satisfying my senses, we have to agree to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa. Unfortunately we make the Supreme Lord senseless. "God is impersonal; He has no sense. He has no hands. He has no mouth. He has no legs." Then what it is? So we are creating imaginary God in that way. But here is God present, Kṛṣṇa. He's with hands and legs and feet and speaking to Arjuna. So God is not senseless. If He is senseless, then there was no use of speaking this Bhagavad-gītā and taking it so very important book so that world is reading very carefully. He's not senseless. He is full sense. Otherwise His Bhagavad-gītā has no meaning. So He is full sense. Now, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness means that instead of satisfying my senses, we are to satisfy the sense of Kṛṣṇa. A simple process. It is not very difficult.
For the matter of sense gratification you have to practice vairāgya. Indriya. Our all the indriyas—eyes, tongue, nose—they are very much, I mean to say, affected or attracted. Eyes, always attracted by beauty. "I want to see very beautiful thing." But you can control the eyes when you practice to see the beautiful feature of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī. Therefore the Deity should be very nicely decorated so layman like us may be attracted by the beauty of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Gradually, he will forget to see any other beauty. This is the practice of indriyārtheṣu. Indriyārtheṣu vairāgyam.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Is very important verse. Actually, this is the essence of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. What is that? People become diseased by sense gratification. Everyone knows. Too much sense gratification means creating disease. For example, some nice eatable. But if you, because it is very nice rasagullā, therefore I shall devour one dozen, that's not very good. That will create indigestion immediately. So in this material world, people are so much enthusiastic in the matter of sense gratification. Whole world. Not only now, this is the place for competition of sense gratification. Advancement of civilization means, the so-called civilization, material civ..., means how much you are able to gratify your senses. That is civilization. How much you are given facilities to gratify your senses. This is the modern idea, hedonism. More eat, more drink-eat, drink, be merry, and enjoy. Sense gratification.
There are two things: śreya and preya. I have discussed all these thing many times. Preya means immediately very palatable. That is called preya. And śreya means ultimately good. Suppose if you take some palatable foodstuff, it may be very palatable to you... There are many examples. Just like smoking. Smoking. Everyone knows, the scientists, the doctor, they declare, "This is a nonsense thing. It should be avoided." They advertise even in the packet also. But people still smoke. But that is called preya. That is called preya. Preya means immediately very nice. And śreya means when one gives it up, "No, it will keep my health nice." That is śreya. Try to understand what is śreya and preya. Another example: just like a child he wants to play whole day. Even Kṛṣṇa was playing with His friends. Mother Yaśodā had to call Him thrice, four times, then He would come back. So that is the nature of children—they want to play whole day and night. But that is not preya, er, that is not śreya. The mother, the parents, take care, "My dear boy, come here, take your bath, change your dress, take your food. It is already late." So he does not know that these things are śreya. He wants to play. Just try to understand śreya and preya. Preya means according to one's position, there are different subject matter of sense gratification. That is called preya. And śreya means for future goodness. Ultimate good. That is called preya, er, śreya.
So this class of men, they are not interested. They will suffer this material existence continually, one after another, one of chapter, one of chapter... Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19), one life. And if he gets one life very opulent, that is, then he doesn't care for what is next life. "Let me drink and enjoy. Eat, drink, and be merry and en..." This is going on all over the world. But śāstra says, "No, no, no, no. It is not good. You are doing mistake. You are doing mistake." Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). You have become mad and you are engaged in doing all forbidden things which you should not do. You are doing that. And why you are doing that? Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). Why? Yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti. Simply for sense gratification. Simply for sense gratification. I have seen one hotel man in Calcutta. He cut the throat of a chicken, and the chicken, half-cut, it was flapping and jumping. The child of the hotel man, he was crying, and the hotel man was laughing. He was taking pleasure, "Oh, how this chicken, half-cut throat, and how he is jumping... Why you are crying? Why you are crying?" And in Western countries I think students are sometimes taken to slaughterhouse to see. Is it a fact? Yes. You see. They take pleasure. Doing something sinful, they take pleasure. For pleasure's sake they do that. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaye (SB 5.5.4). Simply for the matter of sense gratification.
Still this custom is prevalent in India, as soon as somebody sees a sannyāsī has come in a temple, somebody from the village, not somebody, but many will come, "Sir, you can take your lunch at my place." So there is no scarcity. Many people will come to invite you still. Therefore many pseudo or phony swamis, they have taken this profession because there is no difficulty getting food. So, mahat-sevā. The... What is the idea? The idea is the gṛhasthas, they know that "We are simply engaged in the matter of sense gratification. If we invite some saintly person at home, if he eats at my place, then, we commit so many sinful activities, we'll be saved." This is the process.
The whole yogic process means how to become free from sexual desire. Indriya saṁyama. Yogam indriya saṁyama. The yoga practice... Formerly, everyone was practicing this yoga, aṣṭāṅga-yoga, dhyāna dhāraṇā asana praṇāyāma, just to become very stout and strong in the matter of sense gratification. Sense gratification is not at all good without any restriction. That is tapasya—tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13). And the first-class tapasya is to cease from sex life, either man or woman. Then tapasya begins.
"These foolish rascals, they have created a very troublesome civilization simply for sense gratification. That's all. Their so-called advancement of civilization, machine and machinery and so many things, they've complicated. But what is their purpose? The purpose is indriya sukha. Indriya sukha means sense gratification. That's all. And what is that sense gratification? Māyā sukha indriyārtham. For the matter of the senses. Māyā. Māyā means illusion. It, this kind of sense gratification has no practical meaning. It is simply temporary, flickering. But I am hankering after eternal pleasure. And what this sense gratification will give me? They do not know. But they have invented a type of civilization full of activities simply for the matter of sense gratification. So I am simply anxious for them." So this is the business of a Kṛṣṇa conscious person.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Lord Kṛṣṇa said also that kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ yajanti anya-devatāḥ: (BG 7.20) "Those who are worshipers of other demigods, they are mad after sense gratification." Oh, that means they are third-class men. Those who are mad after sense gratification, they are not considered first-class men because they are not transcendentalists; they are materialists, just like animals. They do not know anything. Simply sense gratification—āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna: eating, sleeping, mating and defending—that is their business. So those who are engrossed in the matter of sense gratification only, they are not in higher position. Therefore hṛta-jñānāḥ. Hṛta-jñānāḥ means those who have lost their sense. For sense gratification they have lost their sense. Hṛta-jñānāḥ.
Initiation Lectures
Ṛṣabhadeva says that people are mad after sense gratification. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ. Pramattaḥ means intensely. Intensely intoxicated. Pra means intensely, and mattaḥ, mattaḥ means intoxicated. So the disease, material disease, is intensely intoxicated in the matter of sense gratification. This is material disease. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma. And impelled by this propensity of sense gratification, they are prepared to do any kind of nonsense. Vikarma. Vikarma means what we should not do. Just like a man steals. He knows that stealing is not good, but he wants to satisfy some sense; therefore he is committing stealing also. Therefore he is mad. He knows that "If I am arrested for this stealing or committing this offense, I'll be punished. I may be hanged or..." There are so many things. But still, because he is mad after some sense gratification, he commits such sinful activities.
General Lectures
Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is indicating everyone. We are teaching that "Don't spoil your this rare human form of life simply by engaging yourself in the matter of sense gratification." Because sense gratification ample, or sufficient sense gratification opportunity you had even in the hog's life. Because we have migrated, we have evolved from hog's life also. Sometimes we had been a hog or a dog or something like that. Now we have come to this stage of life, this life should not be spoiled like the cats, dogs and hogs. But we should have some restraint and realize ourself. This possibility is there simply by chanting these sixteen words: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. This is possible. This is practical.
There is a great politician of the name Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. He was prime minister of Emperor Candragupta, a contemporary to the reign of Alexander the Great, in Greece. So, he was Prime Minister of that Emperor Candragupta, and he has many moral instructions and social instructions. In one of his verses, he says that āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko 'pi na labhyaḥ svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ. Āyuṣaḥ, "of your duration of life." Suppose you are twenty years old. Today is 19th May, and there was 4 p.m. Now, this time, 4 p.m., 19th May, 1969, gone. You can never get it back even if you are prepared to pay millions of dollars. Just try to understand. Similarly, even a moment of your life is wasted for nothing, simply in the matter of sense gratification-eating, sleeping, mating and defending—then you do not know the value of your life. You cannot get back even a moment of your life by paying millions of dollars. Just try to understand how much valuable is your life.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: ...required to kill somebody, he'll do that. If it is required for his sense gratification. There are many instances that a woman is addicted to another man and she has killed her husband, killed her son. Why? Sense gratification. I have seen one woman, my Godbrother's wife, she killed her son for being implicated with another man. I have seen it. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). Things which are not to be done, they do it. Why? For the matter of sense gratification. They do it. That's a fact. So therefore simply for sense gratification they are prepared to do anything. That means pāpa. It is the verdict of the court that when a man kills another man he becomes mad. Without becoming mad a man cannot kill another man. So everything is being done which is not sanctioned because for sense gratification.
Correspondence
1947 to 1965 Correspondence
I beg to submit herewith that by the Grace of Sri Krishna through His mercy personified—my spiritual master, I have realized it most thoroughly that going "Back to Godhead" is the highest privilege of mankind and that is the supreme perfection of human life.
Unfortunately, the present day human civilization is very much attracted with the beauty of Apara Prakrti the illusory material Nature and as such they are overpowered by a demoniac form of propensity in the atheistic set up of civilization manifested in the matter of sense gratification. This tendency is dangerously harmful to the real progress of life.
The aim of life should be to make a sincere effort to go "Back to Godhead" but contrary to this, the tendency is to go back to hell or in the cycle of evolutionary animal life as it is described in the 16th chapter of Bhagavad-gita.
Please therefore save them from the great falldown. Believe me or not, I have got the clue of going "Back to Godhead" just after leaving my present material body and in order to take along with me all my contemporary men and women of the world, I have started my paper "Back to Godhead" as one of the means to the way.
The difficulty is that misguided people are more interested in the matter of sense gratification than in self-realization which is the ultimate goal of life. We have therefore taken up the difficult job to perform and it is our duty to do it.
We invite you to cooperate with the mission for collective welfare and help in the matter of wider circulation of the spiritual propaganda made by the BACK TO GODHEAD.
1969 Correspondence
Your letter is very much encouraging, and it is worth exhibiting to all grhastha disciples, and not only to disciples, but to people in general who are simply interested in the matter of sense gratification. Our members of Krishna Consciousness society should be ideal human beings, and if they try to follow the principles, surely they will be the ideal men in the world.
| Page Title: | The matter of sense gratification |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Labangalatika |
| Created: | 02 of Dec, 2008 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=1, SB=2, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=14, Con=1, Let=3 |
| No. of Quotes: | 21 |